Monday, February 27, 2012

Infants Over Men

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 3:1

And I, brethren,
could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to
infants in Christ.

Insights: In chapter two Paul has
been laying out the distinction between those lost and those saved, those
condemned to hell and those destined for heaven. When Paul moves into chapter three, however,
he is writing to just the later group.
Notice, he says, “And I, BRETHREN, could not speak to YOU. . . .” Over these next three verses Paul is making a
distinction between carnal Christians and spiritual Christians. John Short wrote, “. . . the charge
has been leveled against the church that there is not enough difference between
those who are members and the average man-in-the-street with whom one can do
business, whose character is trustworthy, but who makes no profession of faith
. . . .” Short’s words are the heart of
this verse. Yes, it is true; these
individuals to whom Paul is writing are saved.
The ability to grow is present because the Holy Spirit dwells within
them, but they have no desire to grow; and therefore, lack the spiritual
discernment to live a life that looks different from those poor lost souls
around them. Their maturity level in
Jesus is still that of a child. For a
moment, think about the physical development and desires of a child. With who is the sole person the infant child
is concerned? The answer is itself! In other words, when the child is hungry, he
cries until someone feeds him. When he
has a dirty diaper, he cries until someone changes him. When he is sleepy, he is cranky and cries
until he falls asleep. Everything about
his world is himself and his wants and his needs. The mother on the other hand, sacrifices a
great deal for the child. When he cries
in the early hours of the morning, the mother does not role over and say, “I am
too tired, I am not going to get up and feed this child.” Rather, exhausted, the mother gets up and
goes and feeds the child. Now, image
this same child is now twenty years old.
If he is still wearing diapers and crying for someone to feed him, we
would know there was something wrong with that man. And yet, we as Christ-followers have so
fallen from growth in Jesus that we do not question when the church is full of “twenty-year-old”
Christians who are still babies in Jesus.
Beloved, we must grow up and mature in Christ.

Questions:

How old are you physically in Jesus?

How old are you emotionally and intellectually in Jesus?

Do your physical years of knowing Jesus match your
maturity level?

Prayer: O Lord, do whatever is necessary to mature me in my faith. Grow me as Your child and nurture me the way
You see fit. Let my love for You
increase and my faith in You abound. Amen.